Friday, November 26th, 2010

Aquatica releases renderings of AD7000 housing

Aquatica has released renderings of their new AD7000 housing for the Nikon D7000 SLR. A full press release is expected next week, but expected features include: A combined port lock / lens release and pinion gear relief lever, the multi controller pad is relocated further to the right for easier access and its design replicates the one found on the camera and the internal flash actuation lever operates with one press to flip it open and then just lift to close.

Friday, November 26th, 2010

Firmware updates for Canon EOS 7D and Rebel T2i (550D)

dpreview reports that Canon has announced the release of firmware updates for the EOS 7D and Rebel T2i (EOS 550D). Both updates comprise bug fixes for issues with each camera, in the case of the 7D firmware v.1.2.3 fixes issues with using speedlights and macro lighting, and for the T2i, firmware v 1.0.9 prevents an issue with the Auto Lighting Optimizer settings.

Thursday, November 25th, 2010

Rob Stewart on ideaCity

Earlier this year, ideaCity posted a video of a lecture delivered by Rob Stewart to YouTube. In it he talks about the making on his film “Sharkwater” and goes on to discuss his ideas about sharks and marine overfishing.

Wednesday, November 24th, 2010

Results of Hugycup 2010 announced

The results of the Hugycup 2010 competition have been announced. At a ceremony last week at the Seraya Beach Resort, Bali, venue for the event, over €30,000 worth of prizes were given away. More then 100 participants from 9 different countries competed in 9 photo categories and in two video categories. The Hugycup 2011 will possibly will be held in Dahab, Egypt.

Full results and the winning images are available on the events website.

Tuesday, November 23rd, 2010

Bull sharks killed at Playa del Carmen

Last week, a local fisherman from Puerto Morelos, Mexico killed nine bull sharks, part of a group that had entertained divers on the reefs around Playa del Carmen. Seven were pregnant females and a total of 50 pups were pulled from their bellies. Shark fishing is not illegal in Mexico, however dive shops in the area have established a tourism market around the bull shark season and the local diving community has encouraged fishermen to leave the sharks alone. (via DivePhotoGuide).

Tuesday, November 23rd, 2010

Sony adds AF to Handycam NEX-VG10E with A-mount lenses

Sony Europe has announced a firmware upgrade for their interchangeable lens NEX-VG10E HD camcorder. This will allow full autofocus with 14 A-mount lenses, when used in conjunction with the LA-EA1 Mount Adapter, which also needs a separate firmware upgrade.

Tuesday, November 23rd, 2010

Tony Wu reviews Totomega insect eye lens

Tony Wu has posted a review of the new Totomega insect eye lens on his blog. He has been using one to shoot stills and video on the recent Wetpixel Ambon Night Safari. He compares it to the similar Inon lens and finds:

“The bottom line is that the two lenses were created with a similar objective, but have different optical characteristics. Both are a challenge to shoot, but the unique perspective can make the effort worthwhile.”

Thursday, November 18th, 2010

DEMA show 2010: Coverage

The annual DEMA show is the biggest trade only dive event in the world. Just about every company involved in the industry has some form of presence here, including all the major underwater imaging equipment companies. The Image Resource Center is an enclave within the show which caters specifically these companies and has a program of regular seminars.

For DEMA 2010, Sterling Zumbrunn and Adam Hanlon attended the show for Wetpixel, and have provided detailed coverage of many of the booths featuring imaging products. Click though for the final show report.

Wednesday, November 17th, 2010

Nikon D7000 video licenses

Nikon Rumors has reported that AVC codec used by the newly released Nikon D7000 camera is only available for personal and non-commercial use. This is as stated in the D7000’s user manual (page xvii) and is currently being debated on the forums.

There is an interesting article about “Know Your Rights: H.264, patent licensing, and you” on engadget.

Wednesday, November 17th, 2010

Raja Ampat creates shark sanctuary

Bupati Drs Marcus Wanma, Regent of Raja Ampat, has announced the creation of a 15,000 square mile shark sanctuary in the waters surrounding Raja Ampat, Indonesia. It will provide full protection for sharks, manta rays, mobulas, dugongs, and turtles. Also prohibited will be the highly destructive practices including reef bombing and the aquarium fish trade. The Shark Sanctuary declaration is in direct response to a campaign mounted by Shark Savers in partnership with Misool Eco Resort. The campaign won the support of over 8,500 divers and conservationists and hundreds of tourism and diving companies and NGOs from around the world.

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